Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
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Now reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. It's one of those books I feel like I should've read but never have. It's certainly good and deserves its status as a classic, but "required reading for the human race", as it says on the cover blurb? I'm not so sure about that.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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I recently finished off the Complete Calvin and Hobbes.
I've read half of a book called Eddie Bear, Private Detective, which is an omnibus of two novels provided by the Sci FI Bookclub. I enjoyed it as it's written in a style that reminds me of Douglas Adams.
I just started Dan Simmons, The Terror. So far it's off to a promising start.
Registered: Aug 2004
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Currently reading Silent Victory by Clay Blair. It's a comprehensive history about the U.S. Pacific submarine forces in WWII. among my many addictions, I just can't pass up a good read about WWII.
From: chicago, IL | Registered: Apr 2005
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I just picked up 1776 by David McCullough. 28 pages into it. It looks like a breezy sort of read.
-------------------- Five billion years from now the Sun will go nova and obliterate the Earth. Don't sweat the small stuff!
From: Boston | Registered: Aug 2003
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I'm reading the Crown of Stars series by Kate Elliot. It's that rarest of rarities a huge epic that's actually finished. I'm rereading volume 5 right now (there's 7 all together) and it's really excellent.
The first time I heard of the series I thought it was just another "kids save the world" type story and I passed it by, but the description of the second book made me realize that there was more to it. I'm glad I took another look at it. The "kids" were 16, adults in their culture, and the series takes place over several years. There's also a lot of other great characters.
The three main characters are:
Alain, a young man sent to work at the local lords estate where he finds he can control a pack of dogs that no one but the Count is supposed to be able to command.
Liath, a young woman who's been on the run her whole life, but she doesn't know why. After her father's murdered she ends up as a slave to a corrupted priest.
Sanglant, the firstborn, but bastard, son of the king. He's content to fight battles and seduce women, but the king has other plans no matter what the laws say.
Elliot really knows her history. It's set in a medieval type world heavily based on the real world. The big difference (aside from the names) is that the people believe in a god that's a dual entity both male and female. That's had a huge impact on the culture. This is the best use of a medieval Christian-type church I've ever seen in a fantasy novel. Elliot really understands the impact it had on the society.
I'm going in to detail about this series because it seems to be marketed at teenage girls. It even has a heart and rose motif on the cover. Personally, I think it would appeal to older readers more, and not just women. The subject matter's just as mature as The Song of Ice and Fire, although it doesn't go into such graphic detail. At first I thought the story was a bit predictable even into the second book, but pretty much all my predictions turned out to be wrong. The plot is seriously twisty once you get into it.
-------------------- arachne3003.deviantart.com Current Obsession: Birds of Prey/Secret Six
From: Canada | Registered: Jul 2003
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Novels peripheral to Clone Wars, taking place both before and after the movie.
SO much better than the movie with much better characters and better story development even of the main plot as shown in the movies.
Palatine was a sneaky little devil.
Anakin and Padme
Never in any of the movies did I "feel the love." A little rolling in the grass, some standing on balconies and a bunch of stilted dialogue?
One page in one novel told me more about Anakin's desperate need for Padme than all the movies combined. He was about to go into battle and the novel describes a letter he wrote to her to put in his final affects in case he didn't make it back.
From: East Toledo | Registered: Jul 2003
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I just started Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. yeah, I know, I am late to the party.
but I have seen all the movies so far and thought they were good. and with the last book coming out, I thought this would be the perfect time to just read straight through the series.
From: chicago, IL | Registered: Apr 2005
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Arachne, I read and enjoyed the CROWN OF STARS series, too. There was one one divergent plotline that I thought derailed the series in the middle volumes. That's a minor complaint, though.
I would recommend that if someone picks this up and, like me, tends to read different series at the same time (well, not the *exact* same time...), they *don't* read this one simultaneously with the other series you mentioned, SONG OF ICE AND FIRE. There are some striking similarities that can get mish-mashed together.
I'd add that the culture Kate Elliott creates here is one in which women have as much political and personal power (if not more) than the men-- something which wouldn't be expected from a medieval setting.
Ms. Elliott's more sci-fi series, JARAN, is excellent, as well. It approaches the DUNE novels in complexity and creative punch. And I don't say that lightly.
Robin Hobb's series beginning with ASSASSIN's APPRENTICE falls right in with Elliott's and Martin's.
From: Knoxville, TN | Registered: Jul 2003
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Star Wars: Allegiance by Tim Zahn Legacy of the Force: Betrayal by Aaron Allston Servant of the Shard by R.A. Salvatore Sea of Swords by R.A. Salvatore Grave Peril by Jim Butcher Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
All of these books were very comfortable reads for me. I've read just about all of the Star Wars novels so getting into the recent releases was like putting on an old pair of work boots. Most of the time you don't even know that they're on.
Having said that, Betrayal had some laugh out loud moments in it that really made it stand out from other Star Wars fare. I'm not sure I like the direction some of the characters are taking, but I'm still interested in reading the forthcoming books in th series.
Anybody that has read my posts in this thread knows that I'm a huge fan of Tim Zahn's Star Wars writing. Before Allegiance he wrote six (that I can remember off the top of my head, strike that, just looked it up and there are seven) other novels in the SW universe and they are my favorites. He manages to put strength and freshness into relationships and characters that are well known and comfortable. I know that the early reviews of Allegiance are mostly negative, but the trend in those reviews tend to have sayings like, "Allegiance wasn't what I was expecting." or "There wasn't enough Luke, Han, and Leia in the story for me."
I don't really care about that type of criticism as I find it flawed. For me the story wasn't supposed to be about Leia, Han, and Luke... It was about Allegiance (hence the title) and in that sense the story worked. Plain and simple, I liked it. The plot was tight. The characters and situations were fascinating, in fact the only nitpick I have with it is a well known SW Universe problem. It seems that all of the main players end up at the same planet through different routes at the critical time. One instance of this is good writing. Two is a bit much, but it seems that this happens way more than it should. Every once in awhile some of the heroes need to be in the wrong place. Or at least in the right place, but at the wrong time. Zahn gets a pass on this for me though, as he writes the coincidences very plausibly. On a side note, I find myself drawn to the novels involving Storm and Clone Troopers. They are among the best written books in the SW Universe.
Servant of the Shard and Sea of Swords continue the story of characters related to the Legend of Drizzt. The word 'comfortable' comes to mind again. These are the 13th and 14th books in the series and I haven't disliked any of the series yet. I'm having a hard time keeping the stories of each book separate in my mind, but I always find myself looking forward to reading the next chapter and then the next book when I complete the one I'm currently reading. Can't ask for much more than that out of a story.
I haven't found anyone that writes better Modern Pulp Fantasy than Jim Butcher. His Harry Dresden series rocks so far. Grave Peril and Summer Knight did not disappoint. If tight, intricate plots with twists and brevity are your cup of joe, then you could do a lot worse than to read the Dresden Files.
As for what I'm reading right now... I just started Eyes of Prey which is (reportedly) the next "good" book in the Prey series by John Sandford. It's actually the third in the series and I read the first about six months ago and loved it. The second book isn't very good from reviews that I've read so I skipped it.
I have the Crown of Stars series, the first four of the Song of Ice and Fire, and the Hobbs' Assassin Trilogy and I'm glad that some others on here are liking them. I looked at the thickness of those books and man I don't want to read them if they suck, but all indications are that they're all fantastic, so I'm looking forward to them.
As Blockade Boy mentioned above, the Clone War novels are all fascinating reads. Much better than the movies about that era.
-------------------- Something Filthy!
From: NOVA by way of NOIN | Registered: Jul 2003
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A Hat Full of Sky - Terry Pratchet. It's a Discworld novel, the second one with the witch Tiffany Aching, and the "pixies" Nac Mac Feegle. One of the best Pratchett books I've read in a couple of years.
In the Center of the Galaxy - Clark Darlton. It's a Perry Rhodan novel. Kinda childish but fun!
The Ethics of Star Trek - Judith Barad and Ed Robertson "Using episodes from all four Star Trek series, as well as examples from Plato, Aristotle, Sartre and other great philosopher's of the past, The Ethics of Star Trek explores the answers to these and other important ethical questions: Why is good stronger than evil? If the Prime Directive is so inviolable, why does Kirk always seem to break it? Would Nietzsche have made a good starship captain? Are rational beings the only life-forms entitled to our respect? "
Not as "deep" and exhaustive as I would have liked but a good read nontheless.
From: Somewhere in the Multiverse | Registered: Apr 2006
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quote:Originally posted by minesurfer: My latest reads were:
Legacy of the Force: Betrayal by Aaron Allston
Having said that, Betrayal had some laugh out loud moments in it that really made it stand out from other Star Wars fare.
Minesurfer, what's the setting for this one? Between what movies I mean?
quote:Originally posted by minesurfer: My latest reads were:
Star Wars: Allegiance by Tim Zahn
Anybody that has read my posts in this thread knows that I'm a huge fan of Tim Zahn's Star Wars writing
Thrawn novels right? Better than ANY of the movies IMO. I also just read Outbound Flight and the follow-up "Survivor's Quest." Both were excellent.
From: East Toledo | Registered: Jul 2003
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Legacy of the Force is set way after any of the movies. Han is in his early to mid 60's and his children are in their thirties. I think this puts them around 10 years after the NJO era.
Yep to the Zahn and his Thrawn novels sentiment. I'd agree that they are better than the movies (especially episodes 1-4).
-------------------- Something Filthy!
From: NOVA by way of NOIN | Registered: Jul 2003
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Wow...I haven't posted here since Dec. 5th!!!
Since then I've read - The Talismans of Shannara - Terry Brooks Ilse Witch - Terry Brooks Antrax - Terry Brooks Morgawr - Terry Brooks The Redemption of Althalus - David and Leigh Eddings The Elder Gods - David and Leigh Eddings The Treasured One - David and Leigh Eddings Crystal Gorge - David and Leigh Eddings Forever Odd - Dean Koontz Cold Fire - Dean Koontz Dragon Tears - Dean Koontz The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul - Douglas Adams The Salmon of Doubt - Douglas Adams Rhapsody - Elizabeth Haydon Prophecy - Elizabeth Haydon Destiny - Elizabeth Haydon Beyond the Hanging Wall - Sara Douglass Battleaxe - Sara Douglass Enchanter - Sara Douglass Starman - Sara Douglass
I am currently reading Sinner, also by Sara Douglass
From: Fort McMurray | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote:Originally posted by minesurfer: Blockade Boy:
Legacy of the Force is set way after any of the movies. Han is in his early to mid 60's and his children are in their thirties. I think this puts them around 10 years after the NJO era.
Thanks, I'll have to pick this one up if only to see how they could make Han anymore crotchety.
From: East Toledo | Registered: Jul 2003
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